The Information-Seeking Behavior of Social Science Faculty at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus

Contenu

Titre: The Information-Seeking Behavior of Social Science Faculty at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus
Créateur: Francis, Hannah
Date de publication: 01/2005
Langue: Anglais
Sujet: français Activité :: :: :: Activité informationnelle :: :: :: Pratique de recherche
Résumé: Research interest in the field of Library and Information Science has produced a number of studies that aim to understand the information-seeking behavior of different user groups. There have been fewer studies of social scientists than of their counterparts in the sciences and moreover, most studies have been undertaken in the context of developed countries. Since it is known that information-seeking behaviors are significantly influenced by the prevailing information use environment,1., 2. information professionals in developing countries need to discover for themselves whether the generalizations and assumptions which are made about the information-seeking behavior of social scientists hold true in the context of small developing countries. In other words, the disparity in resources and perhaps service could influence information-seeking behavior such that social scientists in developing countries behave differently from those of developed countries. A more poignant reason to examine this behavior is that information technology has dramatically altered the information landscape, and information professionals in small developing countries need to understand how traditional models of information seeking reported in these studies have changed, and how these changes can be reflected in the provision of new library services. For example, an important issue which must be factored into any effort at understanding information-seeking behavior is the ability of users, in this case faculty, to successfully bypass the library system in favor of other suppliers of information as well as through personal subscription to online products.
This exploratory study focuses on how social science faculty at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, are utilizing library resources, especially those in electronic format, in the pursuit of their teaching, research, and current awareness activities, as well as the characteristics of their preferences in information seeking.
Source: https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0099133304001788